Cynthia Zarazir Lebanese MP enters Byblos Bank  to demand frozen savings
Cynthia Zarazir Lebanese MP enters Byblos Bank to demand frozen savings
Share:

Lebanon: On Wednesday, a member of parliament from Lebanon went with a group of his friends to a Byblos bank location north of Beirut and demanded access to his frozen savings so he could pay for surgery.

Cynthia Zarazer, a new member of parliament elected to represent Beirut in May, claimed to have entered the bank unarmed and demanded $8,500 in cash.

Also Read: Lebanon suggests modifying the agreement on the maritime border with Israel

"We've been going back and forth with the bank for a few days with our (medical) reports, but they didn't give us an answer. I can't escape it now. I came to get my money," said Jarzeer, a banker. Customer. Said on the phone.

She declared, "I arrived today as what my MP colleagues think is irrelevant to me. I can tell right from wrong."

The Lebanese state agency said a civilian also opened fire on a Bank of Beirut branch in Jebeel after guards refused to enter the bank without appointment.

According to reports, the man allegedly pulled out a machine gun from his car and opened fire on the bank, breaking the glass door. The security personnel took him into custody on the spot for further questioning.

Also Read:  Demanding their frozen funds depositors swarm Lebanon's banks

Depositors have become frustrated with informal capital controls imposed by banks since the economic downturn began in 2019, with bank hold-ups and protests rising recently across Lebanon.

Small withdrawals are allowed only in US dollars or Lebanese pounds for depositors who have lost more than 95% of their value since the start of the crisis.

After Zarazier entered, the bank branch was closed, and a representative of Byblos Bank's corporate office was not immediately available for comment.

According to Zarazier, the bank offered Zarazier unlimited withdrawals in Lebanese pounds at an exchange rate of £8,000, but he turned it down as it would have lost 80% of the value of his assets.

He is not involved in any illegal activity. She went to her bank to get money. According to Fouad Debs, his lawyer and the person behind the Depositors' Union Advocacy Group, the management closed the bank, not them.

Also Read: Iran prepared to provide 600,000 tonnes of fuel to Lebanon

He spoke to Reuters while with Zarazir and said the sit-in would continue until the legislators had access to their funds.

There were four holdups in Lebanon on Tuesday, two of which involved armed men demanding the victims' deposits.

The second incident happened on Monday.

Separately, a security source said on Wednesday an unidentified assailant opened fire on a Beirut bank branch in the northern city of Byblos.

According to the source, the attacker fled and there was no casualty.

The Banking Association of Lebanon is outraged by the delay. Last month, a similar increase forced banks to close for almost a week.

Join NewsTrack Whatsapp group
Related News